Container grown Mimosa

[MrsPolly]

We hope to grow this Acacia Nano-dealbata as a shrub rather than a tree. Planted 2016 and facing south it's about 5' tall, but we've seen no sign of flowering; are we expecting too much too soon? Isle of Wight climate should be ok, apparently. TIA..

 

[DirtMechanic]

Whatever you do, do not let those roots get loose into the soil. Around here you cannot hardly kill them. That one is small yet. Your growing season must be short. They like a lot of intense sun, so maybe a grow light and heat mat in the winter will help it. They do not like really wet soil either. And that pot is probably already small. I just cannot describe well enough how aggressive they grow here in 8a Alabama.

 

[MrsPolly]

Whatever you do, do not let those roots get loose into the soil. Around here you cannot hardly kill them. That one is small yet. Your growing season must be short. They like a lot of intense sun, so maybe a grow light and heat mat in the winter will help it. They do not like really wet soil either. And that pot is probably already small. I just cannot describe well enough how aggressive they grow here in 8a Alabama.

 

[MrsPolly]

Thank you Dirt Mechanic... up to now the pot has been wrapped with bubblewrap which can be repeated for winter. I assumed that a smaller pot might help restrict growth, but maybe not?

 

[treeguy]

They bloom on this year's growth from last year's branch tips, so keeping it short will slow down the begining of flowering.

 

[DirtMechanic]

I see your climate average temp high is basically 70f where here it is 90f. I would think low temps are having a negative effect on flowering. In the driest summer times, our grass can hit 125f and mimosa still flourish. I also imagine that a great deal of storage goes on in those roots, so your idea of limits cannot be far off. For my money they are not that far behind wisteria growth.